Friday, April 30, 2010

Phil Collins will play an exclusive pre-festival concert before the 2010 Montreux Jazz Festival featuring Roxy Music, Massive Attack and a host of big jazz acts, festival organizers have announced.

Former Genesis singer and drummer Collins will delve into 1960s Motown and soul before hundreds of musicians from the worlds of pop, rock, blues, and jazz come together in the lakeside town from July 2 to 17 for one of Europe's most prestigious summer music events.

"Phil Collins is the typical example of an old friend because he played at the festival thirty years ago with his band Brand X by the swimming pool in a free show," festival founder Claude Nobs said.

British art rockers Roxy Music, making their first appearance at Montreux since 1973, are first up in the main hall when the 44th edition of the festival gets under way properly.

Other crowd pleasers are set to be multi-instrumentalist Norah Jones, ranked top jazz recording artist of the past decade by Billboard magazine, on July 3, an evening of rock from Billy Idol and Gary Moore on July 6, U.S. singer-songwriter Ben Harper on July 7 and UK trip-hoppers Massive Attack on July 8.

"The spectrum of music has become very wide and if you look at the program you can think 'should the name jazz be mentioned?'. But this year we are very lucky," Nobs said. "We have all the major jazz acts that would draw a crowd."

These include a quintet of great North American jazz keyboardists, starting with Brad Mehldau at the gala night on July 4, which also features soprano Jessye Norman breaking down the barriers between jazz, classical music and gospel.

Keith Jarrett, who played the first festival in 1967, is next to take his seat at the piano on July 11, before making way for jazz fusion pioneer Chick Corea the following night.

Pianist-vocalist Diana Krall, who last year released an album of bossa nova-inspired music, shares a bill with husband Elvis Costello playing with country outfit The Sugarcanes on July 13.

Herbie Hancock rounds off the feast of jazz piano on July 16 with a record 26th Montreux appearance.

"If I book a musician twice in a row it's because he's going to bring something fresh. Herbie played through all these years and it's never the same musicians and never the same tunes," said Nobs.

Guitar aficionados can also catch jazz virtuoso Pat Metheny and flamenco ground-breaker Paco de Lucia on July 7 an 8, respectively, before Buddy Guy and Joe Bonamassa -- artists from very different backgrounds and generations -- give a blues master class on July 13.

Guy, who influenced British bluesman Eric Clapton, was born a sharecropper's son in the segregated Deep South and first learned to play using a makeshift guitar. Bonamassa, still in his early 30s but with ten studio albums already to his name, was a child prodigy who opened for B.B. King when still a boy.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "A Day in the Life," considered one of the Beatles' greatest songs and the final track on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, will go on sale in New York in June.

Sotheby's auctioneer, which described it as "the revolutionary song that marked the Beatles' transformation from pop icons to artists," expects the manuscript to fetch $500-700,000 when it goes under the hammer on June 18.

The single sheet of paper features a rough draft of the lyrics, including crossings out and a spelling error where "film" is written as "flim." On the reverse side is a neater version written in capital letters and with fewer corrections.

Apparently added later is the line: "I love to turn you on," for which the song was banned by the BBC when it first came out in 1967 because the words were deemed to be a reference to taking drugs.

That did little to prevent the album on which the song appeared from becoming one of the Beatles' most successful. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band topped the U.S. Billboard and British charts, and won four Grammy awards in 1968.

The lyrics once belonged to Mal Evans, the Beatles' road manager.

They provide a glimpse into the band's methods, with Lennon noting where Paul McCartney would insert his more upbeat verse. Lennon's words appear to be inspired by newspaper headlines and articles.

The song includes the words "He blew his mind out in a car/He didn't notice that the lights had changed," widely accepted to be a reference to the accidental death in a car crash of Lennon and McCartney's friend Tara Browne.

On a lighter note, the final verse about "four thousand holes in Blackburn Lancashire" was taken from a report on the high number of potholes on the roads.

McCartney's contribution, an upbeat middle passage about falling out of bed and dashing to catch the bus, does not appear on the manuscript to be sold.

"With its languorous cry of 'I'd love to turn you on,' the song was generally interpreted as a hymn to drug use," said Philip Norman, a leading Beatles biographer and author of John Lennon: The Life.

"Actually, it is a cry of despair from John, trapped as he then was in the Beatles' smiley collective image and an atrophied first marriage, yet still lacking the resolution to break out, join forces with Yoko Ono and become the 'real' artist he had always pined to be."

According to Sotheby's, the record for Beatles lyrics at auction is $1 million paid for "All You Need Is Love" in 2005.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Peter Wolf, one of rock music's legendary showmen, has announced a long-awaited solo tour for May, in support of his latest release, Midnight Souvenirs(Verve/UMe). The album debuted at number 45 and features Merle Haggard, Shelby Lynne, and Neko Case.

This lovingly assembled tome -- the first complete illustrated history published about this legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee -- arrives May 15, 2010 to coincide with Young’s Summer 2010 tour and celebrate five decades of genre-spanning work, perfectly mixing expertly researched text and many never-before-seen photos.

This heavy duty 224-page volume follows Young’s long-and-winding career, from the early days of Buffalo Springfield, on through CSNY, and of course, his unpredictably exhilarating solo career.

Born and raised in Canada, Neil Young is equally best known for acoustic/folk hits (“Heart of Gold,” “Old Man”) and raunchy garage rock (“Cinnamon Girl,” “Hey Hey, My My”) -- not to mention stops with the harmony-driven CSNY (“Ohio”) and the psychedelic pop of Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth”).

This thoroughly enticing book will certainly appeal to fans of all eras of “Neil.” And in addition to countless photographs from the 1960s all the way to the present, also included are concert posters and memorabilia from around the world, complemented by commentary from notable musicians around the world, as well as an extensive discography.

Neil Young -- Long May You Run: The Illustrated History will serve as the perfect visual accompaniment the next time you bust out one of the aforementioned titles, as it is without a doubt the most comprehensive book about Neil Young to be released to date.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Preston Hawke didn’t want there to be any doubt about his taste in music. Not only was he wearing a Duane Allman T-shirt, but he needed little encouragement to lift up that T-shirt to reveal a large image of the late guitarist tattooed on his right side.

Hawke, a 29-year-old tattoo artist from Macon, was one of several thousand Allman Brothers Band fans who converged on the Macon City Auditorium on Friday (April 23) night for a very special concert. It was the first time in 19 years that the legendary Southern rockers had played in the city they once called home.

Hawke, a veteran of about 20 Allman Brothers Band concerts, hung out with a small group of friends and family members before the sold-out concert in a small park across the street from the auditorium.

He said the Allman Brothers were his favorite rock band because “they just started Southern rock ’n’ roll, really.” “And their music has crossed generations. My dad taught me about the Allman Brothers, really. I always thought his music (was bad) when I was younger, but now I’ve come full circle.”

In fact, Hawke’s father, 58-year-old Roger Hawke, was sitting nearby, wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt and waiting to enjoy the concert as well. Roger Hawke had never seen the Allman Brothers Band in concert before. But he was a Macon police officer in the early ’70s, and he remembered meeting members of the band on several occasions while on duty.

“They were a bunch of hippies,” he said. “Easy-going, fun-loving guys.”

Behind the auditorium, brothers Matt and Nick Freeman of Marietta sipped beer from plastic cups at a tailgate party complete with grilling meat and a sound system blasting “Blue Sky.” They had both seen 10 Allman Brothers Band concerts before, but Friday’s show was special.

“It’s the first time in 19 years the Allman Brothers have come home,” said Matt, 31. “Back where it all began,” said Nick, 34.

Nearby, 41-year-old Kevin Umberger of Knoxville, Tenn., explained why he drove so far for a concert. First of all, he was used to it, having seen 60 Allman Brothers Band concerts before. He even planned to drove to Alabama for the band’s show there tonight. Second of all, he wanted to finally get a look at the city that was so important to the band’s story.

“I want to see who shows up, I want to see how the band plays and I want to see the inside of the venue,” said Umberger, who wore a batik Jerry Garcia T-shirt.

The band took the stage at 8:12 p.m. to a standing ovation. Guitarist Derek Trucks entered on crutches, with a cast on his right foot. He sat for the concert. The concert began just like the band’s debut 1969 album, with “Don’t Want You No More,” followed by “It’s Not My Cross to Bear.”

The music was accompanied by psychedelic images that flashed on a screen behind the band. Retro-looking blobs of color were combined with computer-animated mushrooms and footage from old movies. During the instrumental “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” a girl’s face appeared fleetingly among the swirling images.

There was an intermission at 9:30 p.m. When the band returned at 10 p.m. Gregg Allman stood and strummed an acoustic guitar instead of taking his customary seat behind his organ. “Melissa” began the second set, with much of the crowd singing along.

A few guest musicians joined the band during the second set. According to a set list, they were guitarist Tommy Talton (of the 1970s Capricorn recording act Cowboy), former Allman Brothers guitarist Jack Pearson and bassist Berry Oakley Jr., son of the late original bassist of the band.

Highlights of the show included and extended version of “Revival” that had the crowd clapping along with raised hands and an encore of “Southbound.” The house lights went on about 11:40 p.m. The band did not play three of their most famous songs: “Ramblin’ Man,” “Midnight Rider” and “Whipping Post.”

After the concert a long line formed outside Grant’s Lounge on Poplar Street, where an after-show party was scheduled.

In his May 2009 lawsuit, DeVitto alleged that Joel breached agreements to pay him unspecified royalties based on sales of 11 albums that were recorded between 1975 and 1990, and which collectively sold more than 100 million units worldwide.

Joel's recording company, Sony Music Entertainment Inc, was also named as a defendant.

"The case has been amicably resolved," said Paul LiCalsi, a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP in New York, who represents Joel. He declined to discuss settlement terms.

DeVitto's lawyer did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

A notation that the lawsuit has been dropped appears on the docket of the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

The case is DeVitto v. Joel et al, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 107122/2009.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Not every rock 'n' roll icon is awash in cash. Some, like rock poetess Patti Smith, have endured hard times fairly recently in their careers.

Smith, receiving a lifetime achievement award in Hollywood on Wednesday (April 21) from songwriting royalties group ASCAP, recalled how the 1994 death of her husband, punk rocker Fred "Sonic" Smith, left her a widowed mother of two young children.

"I was actually down on my luck," she said. "And what helped bail me out and helped me get back to my feet were the ASCAP checks that I got for 'Because the Night,'" Smith said, referring to her best-known song.

ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, collects royalties on behalf of its member songwriters and copyright holders from public performances, such as on the radio and TV, and in bars, restaurants and concert halls.

Songwriters benefit especially when their songs are covered by other artists. In the case of Smith, whose renown overshadows her record sales, versions of "Because the Night" by co-writer Bruce Springsteen and by folk group 10,000 Maniacs are the gifts that keep on giving.

She said that when she released her first album, "Horses," in 1975, she knew nothing about royalties.

"I just thought you did your record and that was it. And the first time I got these checks, I said, 'I already got paid for that song.' So I'm grateful in good times, and I was very grateful in hard times."

Smith, who steadfastly denies categorization and especially disdains the sobriquet "Godmother of Punk," received the Founders Award at ASCAP's 27th annual pop music awards dinner honoring the writers and publishers of last year's most-performed songs.

She also sang four songs with her band, including fiery versions of "Because the Night" and "People Have the Power."

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band are making their first foray into the world of festival performance DVDs.

On June 22, Columbia will release London Calling: Live in Hyde Park, which features two hours of footage from Springsteen and The E Street Band’s Hard Rock Calling Festival performance on June 28, 2009.

The 26 songs on the DVD include Springsteen classics “Born To Run” and “Working On a Dream,” as well as covers of The Clash’s “London Calling,” The Young Rascals’ “Good Lovin’” and Jimmy Cliff’s “Trapped.”

Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem makes a guest appearance on “No Surrender.” Bonus footage includes “The River” from Glastonbury 2009 and the full music video for “Wrecking Ball,” which was filmed at Giants Stadium.

London Calling tracklist:

1. London Calling
2. Badlands
3. Night
4. She’s The One
5. Outlaw Pete
6. Out In The Street
7. Working On A Dream
8. Seeds
9. Johnny 99
10. Youngstown
11. Good Lovin’
12. Bobby Jean
13. Trapped
14. No Surrender
15. Waiting On A Sunny Day
16. Promised Land
17. Racing In The Street
18. Radio Nowhere
19. Lonesome Day
20. The Rising
21. Born To Run
22. Hard Times (Come Again No More)
23. Jungleland
24. American Land
25. Glory Days
26. Dancing In The Dark
27. Music under end credit sequence: Raise Your Hand

Monday, April 19, 2010

Aerosmith are not as close as they once were, but the "Boston bad boys" have put their considerable differences behind them to tour Europe for the first time in three years, guitarist Joe Perry said.

Perry, who led a recent uprising against lead singer Steven Tyler, said of his band mate that he was "stronger than ever" despite a stint in rehab for an addiction to prescription painkillers related to 10 years of performance injuries.

Perry also played down the unusually public dust-up between members of a group whose history has been littered with divisions, drug abuse and debauchery.

"He didn't really leave the band," Perry said of Tyler. "He made it very clear from the very beginning that he wasn't going to leave the band and he just wanted some solo time."

He was referring to Tyler's expressed wish to take a break from Aerosmith in order to write a memoir and focus on what he cryptically termed "brand Tyler."

"The press kind of twisted it around to sell papers but you know the bottom line is I just knew things were just going to work themselves out," he said. "And he is back and he is stronger than ever."

The words of reconciliation were a far cry from a recent falling out during which Perry announced the band was searching for a singer to replace Tyler.

Perry and Tyler, dubbed the "toxic twins" for their hard-living days of old, wrote classic tracks like "Walk this Way" and "Love in an Elevator" together.

Perry, 59, admitted that the Grammy award-winning band, formed 40 years ago, had drifted apart over the years.

"When our kids were younger and our kids were growing up together we were a lot closer together," Perry said. "As the kids got older and they started going off their own ways and Steven ended up getting divorced ... you know, the family get together we don't really do that much any more."

He added that the band did not "hang out together that much," with 62-year-old Tyler spending time with his own group of friends and Perry with another.

"But it doesn't interfere with the band," he said.

Aerosmith hits Europe with its "Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock" tour starting at in Sweden on June 10 followed by two dates in Britain on June 13 and 15.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Johnny Depp wants Mick Jagger to star in new Pirates of The Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides.

The actor — who’s due to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in the smash hit film franchise — managed to get Keith Richards on board as his on-screen father, and is now aiming for another Rolling Stone.

“Johnny is working closely with Disney on the next chapter of Pirates of the Caribbean and has put a lot of ideas forward,” reveals a movie insider.

“Some of the more fun ideas include getting Mick in with Keith as pirate elders. He thinks they would be perfect.”

Depp, 46, recently revealed he can’t wait to make more Pirates movies.

“I can’t wait to get back in costume,” he said last month. “Some people will say, ‘Aha, Depp sold out by doing the sequels.’ But it was never an issue for me. I love Captain Jack so much I’d do Pirates 7 if they asked me.

Friday, April 16, 2010

A recently unearthed Rolling Stones track is to be released as a limited edition 7" single for Record Store Day, which is Saturday, April 17.

"Plundered My Soul" was recorded during sessions for the band's sprawling 1972 double album Exile On Main Street, but was left to languish in the vaults.

The group rediscovered the track while preparing a reissue of the album, due to be released on 18 May.

Just 1,000 copies have been pressed for Record Store Day, which aims to promote independent music stores.

The Beatles, Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp are also releasing limited edition recordings in aid of the event, which is now in its fourth year.

Spencer Hickman, who manages the Rugh Trade East store in London, helped to co-ordinate the UK side of the event. He said there had been a huge surge of interest from customers and record companies.

"Last year was great but this year's really firing," he said. "It's got a bit easier, I haven't been going begging for releases, people have been going, 'We've got this unreleased Rolling Stones single, do you want it?' There's been such a wealth. "

Recent figures showed that there are now just 269 independent record shops in the UK - a third of the number there were five years ago.

There will also be exclusive UK releases by The Flaming Lips, Jimi Hendrix, the Stone Roses and MGMT.

Record shops across the UK will also be hosting in-store gigs by the likes of Ash, Laurie Anderson, The Paddingtons and Bombay Bicycle Club.

In the US, where Record Store Day was conceived, there will be more than 200 separate releases.

They include a reissue of REM's long out-of-print first EP on blue vinyl, a "surprise" new song from rap stalwarts The Beastie Boys, and two new tracks from Hole's upcoming album.

The Blu-ray and DVD, including an hysterically innovative bonus documentary, will be released Tuesday, May 4 by DC3 Music Group, LLC, following a series of virtual concert screenings at select theaters nationwide and a live concert webcast from Cabo San Lucas, set for April 24 (10 p.m. CST) at BestBuy.com.

As fun as they are on stage, Chickenfoot is just plain funny offstage. That’s the uniqueness of the offbeat bonus documentary, jam-packed with exclusive, never-before-seen backstage footage, rare interviews and extra performance video.

The band members unconventionally take control of the interviews by instead conducting -- or misconducting -- them in their own individual styles. Their prank victims are show biz pals Bob Weir, Adam Carolla and Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, as well as the unsuspecting public, who get ambushed throughout the documentary man-in-the-street-style by Smith, asking whether they’ve ever heard of the band Chickenfoot and can recognize their faces in a publicity photo.

Hagar drops in on Weir at home, and uncovers the last time the former Grateful Dead lead singer dropped acid and what gets his buzz on these days.

Anthony shares backstage couch time, Chickenfoot merchandise and chicken wings with Carolla. And Satriani buzzes around venues on both sides of the Atlantic with “Joe-Cam” firmly mounted to his head before allowing Nigel Tufnel (alias Christopher Guest) some not-so-serious interview time.

The Blu-ray and DVD features one full concert shot at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix on Sept. 23rd, 2009, plus live segments from shows last fall at the Tabernacle in Atlanta and The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, plus a bonus photo gallery.

Monday, April 12, 2010

As rumored in recent months, Roger Waters is taking Pink Floyd's The Wall on the road this fall for a 36-date North American tour starting Sept. 15 in Toronto and wrapping Dec. 13 in Anaheim.

Prior to this, the 1979 concept album has only been performed 31 times -- by PInk Floyd in 1980-81 with limited engagements in Los Angeles, London, Uniondale, N.Y. and Dortmund, West Germany, and an all-star presentation by Waters in July of 1990 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Waters, who played The Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety during 2007-08, will reportedly take The Wall to Europe in 2011, but no dates have yet been announced.

The show will be a state-of-the art affair, featuring a 240-foot-wide and 35-foot-tall wall constructed and subsequently torn down during the concerts. Other props and special effects are expected to be part of the show as well.

Released in November of 1979, The Wall -- which focuses on a disaffected young musician facing an existential personal crisis that reflected Waters' state of mind at the time -- spent 15 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified 23-times platinum and won a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Recording -- Non-Classical.